


Acts of Kindness

by Periazhad



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Accidental Brother Acquisition, Alpha Bruce Wayne, Alpha Dick Grayson, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Dick Grayson is Robin, Homelessness, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Human Trafficking, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Omega Jason Todd, Street Rat Jason Todd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 11:34:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29295258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Periazhad/pseuds/Periazhad
Summary: Jason first meets Robin lost in the middle of Crime Alley and tries to save him from whatever pervert put him in that costume.Jason and Robin meet again. And again. Jason can't make himself ignore his stupid omega instincts to help.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Jason Todd
Comments: 27
Kudos: 476





	Acts of Kindness

**Author's Note:**

> You wouldn't have this without Ise telling me how to tag it and writing most of the summary.

Jason’s wandering the streets, avoiding his dad, the first time he sees Robin. He winces; that is some weird shit the perverts cooked up for him. And why would they let him out on the streets once they got him into that? The kid is walking slowly down the street, peering into each alleyway, looking lost.

Even though Jason’s only nine, he’s already figured out being an Omega makes him more protective than the other kids. It’s harder to walk away when he sees a kid being bullied, and he’s found himself giving his meagre dinner to even skinnier street kids. His mom scolds him, but her heart isn’t it. Jason knows she loves and fears his kindness in equal measure; proud of him but terrified Crime Alley will take advantage and leave nothing left of Jason. 

He tries not to be obvious when he’s kind. His mom taught him to never let anyone know; Omegas are vulnerable and a poor Omega even more so. So he pretended he didn’t care when he saw suffering, hid his breaking heart away, and helped only when he thought it was safe.

There’s no one else on the street when Jason glances around, so he slips up to the brightly dressed kid and says, “Hey, do you need some help?”

The kid beams down at him and Jason sees he’s wearing some sort of mask. The perverts who want kids are  _ really _ weird. “Hello! I do, actually. I got separated from my partner and I can’t find the car again.”

Jason winces internally. Not even a hotel room, but a car? And how did he get separated? Was it some kind of weird game? How could anyone  _ lose _ someone dressed like this? Jason glances around again, but there’s still no one nearby. He lowers his voice and says, “You don’t have to go back to ‘em, you know? You got free; you can  _ stay _ free.”

The kid looks down at him, puzzled, and Jason’s voice grows more urgent. “Come on, come back to my place. We don’t have much, but my mom would help me find you some clothes. She wouldn’t want you dressing like that for perverts. We could find you some actual pants. And you don’t have to do it no more.”

The silence stretches out as the kid tips his head to the side, studying Jason. Jason’s skin starts to crawl. The longer he’s out in the open, doing something like this, the likelier it is someone will catch them. He grabs the kid’s hand and tows him into an alley.

“I think you’ve misunderstood,” the kid finally says. “I’m not being trafficked.” Jason looks at him incredulously. “My name is Robin and I’m with Batman.” The kid—Robin’s voice is chipper, like he hasn’t just told a completely outrageous lie. 

“I really appreciate your concern, but I need to find the car again. Do you know where Tenorio’s Dry Cleaning is?” Robin sticks his head out the alleyway, craning to look. “I thought it was on this street, but I’m not seeing it.” He turns to Jason apologetically. “I haven’t been out on the streets very long.”

Jason stares, and then mentally shakes himself. He can’t save everyone. “It’s two streets over. I’ll show you.” At least whoever has this kid seems to be taking good care of him. They’ve even got him wearing some really strong blockers. If Jason doesn’t help, and some random person grabs him, who knows what might happen to him. When they get to the alley by Tenorio’s, Jason lets Robin get ahead of him in his eagerness.

“B? B, I’m back!” Jason doesn’t want to see what happens next, and slips away.

He’s surprised when sightings are reported of a brightly dressed kid working with Batman, but mostly he’s glad the kid isn’t being trafficked. 

\----

Jason is ten when his mom dies and he’s out on the streets. An Omega on the streets is fair game, and Jason makes sure to get the blocker patches and fake scent from the shelters. You can’t be seen grabbing them, or everyone knows. The shelters understand this and set up multiple, random pick up locations.

He’s carefully approaching one of the pick up points outside a shelter when he spots a glint of yellow and red. He remembers those colors from a year ago, and he’s seen them flying overhead. Now they’re still, unmoving. He creeps closer. It’s definitely Robin, propped up against a dumpster. Jason can see a large gash in his leg, since he still doesn’t have  _ pants _ , and he’s bleeding all over the alley. Where’s Batman? Jason looks around, but no one else is here. Why is Robin unconscious? Jason shivers, worried.

“Robin? Robin, are you okay?” Maybe he’s just faking it. Jason creeps right up next to him and cautiously nudges him. “Robin, you gotta wake up, you’re bleeding everywhere.” Robin slumps further down the dumpster and now Jason is frightened. But being frightened doesn’t  _ help _ , he learned that early on, and he realizes he’s going to have to bandage the wound somehow. He wants to walk away, but his inner Omega is screaming at him to protect. And this is Robin, who does so much for Gotham, Jason can’t just  _ leave  _ him here.

First he tries to get the cape off Robin to use as a bandage, but he can’t figure out the clasp. He doesn’t want to use his hoodie, one of the last things his mom gave him. He strips off his t-shirt instead, putting his hoodie back on. It’s not clean, but better a dirty wound than bleeding to death in an alley. He presses his shirt gingerly down on the leg and Robin’s body spasms. Jason jumps back in fear, but Robin doesn’t actually wake up. Jason goes right back to his leg, applying more pressure.

Hopefully Batman comes soon. Jason doesn’t want to get caught here; only an Omega would be so stupidly helpful. As he’s thinking that, there’s a rustling behind him and a deep voice says, “What are you doing?”

Jason scrambles backwards and says, “I was  _ helping _ , he’s  _ bleeding _ .” Batman crouches down next to Robin and Jason runs. He’ll grab a blocker somewhere else.

\---

A month later, he finds Robin, limping and looking a little worse for the wear, being chased by a group of thugs. He frantically waves Robin into an alley and shoves him behind a dumpster. Robin says, “What—” but Jason hushes him and sprints to the far end of the alley. The thugs come rushing it, slowing down when they don’t see anything. Jason, trying to look casual, walks openly across the end of the alley.

“Kid! Hey kid!” Jason turns and fakes surprise. “You seen Robin?”

Jason points and says, “Yeah, he went running down that way and ducked into the alley by the diner.” The thugs take off running, and Jason vanishes before Robin comes back out.

\---

A couple months after that, he finds Robin shaking in an abandoned store. “Robin?” His head snaps up but he doesn’t move when he sees Jason. 

“Go away, kid, I’m fine.” 

“You don’t look fine.” Jason edges closes, cursing his Omega instincts. 

“I got some fear toxin. I just need to be left alone, and I’ll be fine. Batman is on his way.”

Jason looks around, even though he already knows they’re alone. It's a habit; he can never be seen doing anything too kind. “You’re not going crazy, yet,” he points out, jumping up to sit on a checkout counter and swinging his feet. “They say if you just get a little it makes you real jittery, and it’s better not to be alone. Did you get a lot or a little?”

Robin says, “A little.” His voice is shaking, too, and Jason aches to make him feel better.

“Well, then, I can stay until your  _ partner _ gets here.” He puts a twist on the word, but Robin doesn’t seem to notice. “How did you get to be Robin, anyways? Are you actually his kid?”

Robin sinks to the floor, his back against a wall, wrapping his arms around his knees. He buries face in his knees and says, “My parents died and he adopted me.”

Well, that sucks. Jason knows a thing or two about dead parents and it’s probably best to leave it alone with fear gas in his system. “So, do you really have a giant cave that you live in? Or do you have a house?”

Robin lifts his head to look at Jason in surprise. “They think we live in a cave?”

Jason smiles encouragingly at him as he says, “There are a lot of rumors on the street.”

Robin gives a small, shaky smile back and asks, “Tell me about them?”

“Well, ok, but you gotta know first off that I don’t believe all of them.” Jason makes the private decision to not share any of the more disturbing rumors. He doesn’t need to put those ideas in Robin’s head, not with fear gas involved. “Well, so Batman is only seen at night, right? So some people think he’s gotta be a vampire.” Robin starts to laugh. “No, it’s a good theory, Robin, because he is so strong, and doesn’t seem to get injured.” Robin is still laughing and Jason feels a swell of warmth. 

“But how does he get his blood?” Robin can barely ask for laughing.

“He’s a vampire so he  _ hypnotizes  _ you and you never remember in the morning.” Robin wheezes with laughter. “No, not a vampire? What about a shapeshifter? Some people think Batman looks like a bat because he  _ is _ a bat! And that’s why no one knows who he is, because he’s really a bat and sleeps in a cave during the day. You made it a little more complicated, because you don’t look like a robin.”

Robin is laughing helplessly, looking a lot more relaxed. “They don’t think we’re even  _ human _ ?”

  
Jason grins down at him. “Nope.”

“But where do they think we get the car? And the outfits, and the batarangs?”

Jason shrugs. “Part of the magic? I mean, some people think it’s crazy the police aren’t after you. Magic would explain a lot. You whammied them, and now you use your magic to do good.”

Robin is laughing more quietly now as he says, “What do you think?”

Jason laughs. “What do  _ I _ think? Robin, I saw you on your first night out,  _ lost in Crime Alley _ . And then bleeding out in an alley, a year later. If you had any sort of superpowers, that wouldn’t happen.”

Robin leans forward and says, “Hey, that  _ was _ you that first night. You thought I was a victim of trafficking!” Privately, Jason knows that a lot of Gotham  _ still _ thinks Robin is a victim of trafficking. “So you tried to rescue me from traffickers, saved me in the alley,  _ and _ you shoved me behind a dumpster.”

Shifting uneasily on the counter, warm feelings gone, Jason doesn’t say anything. Don’t do anything kind where people can see it and, if they call you out on it, deny. He can’t deny it, not when he just admitted most of it. Robin doesn’t seem to be jumping to any conclusions, though.

“So, uh.” He desperately tries to change the subject. “When is Batman getting here?”

“Now.” Jason squeaks and almost falls off the counter.

  
“B,” Robin says admonishingly. “We’ve talked about this. Don’t scare anyone but the criminals.”

Jason’s heart is in his throat. He needs to go, he needs to leave, but they’re both looking at him. He can’t disappear.

“I move quietly, Robin. You know that.” Batman sounds almost like he’s teasing Robin, but he's still looking right at Jason.

“Moving so quietly is probably why half of Gotham thinks you’re a vampire.” Jason chokes on air as Batman’s head swings around to Robin.   
  
“They think I’m a vampire?” He sounds baffled, but Robin is full of glee. Jason quietly slides off the counter and starts to back away towards the door.

“Yeah, B, because you only come out at night, never seem to get injured, and are so strong. It makes a lot of sense, actually, is there anything you want to confess to me?”

Batman stares at Robin for a moment, and then his head turns back to Jason. Only halfway to freedom, Jason freezes and blurts out, “Robin got hit by fear gas.” Batman turns back to Robin and Jason  _ bolts _ . He can hear both of them calling after him. 

That was too close. He’s not helping out Robin again, no matter what his instincts demand. 

One of the scariest rumors on the street is that Batman gets his money by selling Omega kids. Jason doesn’t really believe it, doesn’t  _ want  _ to believe it, but he isn’t going to take that risk.

\---

Staying away from Batman and Robin works, unless they decide to track you down. Jason ducks into the room he’s been using as a bedroom for the last month, carrying some stolen food, and his heart skips a beat when he sees them waiting for him.

“Jason, wait. Don’t run!” Jason is already moving, knowing it’s hopeless. He can’t outrun Batman or Robin; he’d only ever gotten away because they were distracted. They were going to sell him because he was stupid enough to give away his designation. He’d taken risks, listened to his instincts, and now he was going to pay the price. 

They’re not vampires or shapeshifters, they’re just people. People always want Omegas. They know his name, they found where he’s sleeping, and Jason doesn’t really think he’s going to get away from them.

There’s a stirring of fire within him, though. He’s not just going to roll over for them. He’s not going to make it  _ easy _ , let them pretend it’s fine to sell him, to sacrifice him to their crusade to protect Gotham.

He lets the stolen food drop as he runs. It will only slow him down, and he’d give up far more to have a chance at staying free. He doesn’t make it to the building door before a dark figure lands in front of him. He spins, but Robin is right behind him. He backs up against a wall. He knows he belongs to them, he knows fighting won’t change that, but he can’t stop himself.

“Get away from me!” He’s shocked by how desperate he sounds, voice shaking. He can feel tremors running through his body.

“Jason.” Robin sounds shocked. “We’re not going to hurt you. We—I wanted to thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Jason spits out, hating his Omega instincts for getting him here. He should have just walked away. “Now  _ go away _ .”

Batman stirs and says, “Who is taking care of you, Jason?” Jason looks at him scornfully. If they figured out his name, they know about his parents; they know no one is taking care of him. He couldn’t go into the foster system because Omegas don’t make it out of the system. The traffickers get them and no one cares. Now the traffickers will still get him, but Batman will get the money instead of the social workers.

Robin inches closer and Jason growls at him. He’s not an alpha, but Robin stops anyway. “We just want to make sure you’re safe. You’ve helped me, and we want to return the favor.”

“I’m perfectly safe,” Jason lies, because there’s nothing safer for him than the streets.

“Living on the streets isn’t safe, Jason.” 

“Really?” Jason asks derisively. “I had no idea, it’s been such a picnic so far.” Robin snorts and Jason glares at him, betrayed. “You don’t have to pretend. We all know why you’re here.” Jason presses harder against the wall, as though he’ll suddenly pop through it and be free.

“We’re here to get you into foster care, Jason.”

Jason is incredulous. “You don’t think I’m really that stupid, do you? Everyone knows foster care isn’t safe, especially for—” His voice fails. He can’t admit he’s an Omega, even though they must know. “And everyone knows this is how you get your money.”

Robin slowly asks, “By putting kids into foster care?” 

Jason hesitates, unwilling to name it, and the silence stretches out. The adrenaline rush is fading and he abruptly feels like crying. Fighting is pointless. It just exhausts him and draws it out.

His voice is just above a whisper. “Everyone knows you get your money by selling Omega kids.” Batman actually flinches and Robin steps back.

There’s a long pause and Robin says, forcefully cheerful, “That’s not one of the rumors you told me.”

“I didn’t want to freak you out while you were on fear gas,” Jason mutters. There’s another silence.

“We’re not going to sell you. We want you to be safe, Jason,” Batman says finally.

“Don’t lie to me!” He’s shouting, suddenly. “We both know why you’re here, looking for  _ me _ , and you found me! It’s fine, it’s ok, I’m not going to fight you, just  _ admit it _ .” His throat is tight and his eyes sting painfully.

Jason hasn’t eaten well in weeks, struggling to find food, giving away some of what he did find to the littler kids. He doesn’t have the energy to keep fighting them, keep arguing, keep being scared. His knees feel weak and he slides down the wall. Actually, his vision is going dark. Usually Jason fights it off, finds food, and endures to live another day. Today, he doesn’t see a reason to fight it.  _ I did my best, mom _ , he thinks, and then everything is black.

\---

Jason hears voices through a fog.

“B,  _ please _ , we have to keep him.”

“He’s not a puppy, he’s a child. He needs to be in foster care.”

He’s being carried somewhere and he’s warm. His body feels inexplicably heavy, but he can’t find it himself to be worried.

“You know foster homes aren’t safe for Omegas.”

“That does explain why he wasn’t in the system. He must have known it wasn’t safe.”

He’s gently put on a bed, and someone smooths his hair. No one’s done that since his mom died. Protective, alpha scent curls around him? and Jason would purr if everything wasn’t so fuzzy.

“You’re safe  _ and _ a foster parent! It’s perfect! C’mon, B, look how little he is.”

“We can’t keep him, Dick, he thinks we’re going to sell him. He needs to be somewhere safe.”

A prick in his arm, but Jason still can’t wake all the way up. He’s so tired, and warm, and getting upset feels out of his reach.

“B. He’s an _ Omega _ . There’s nowhere safe for him to go.”

A long silence, and Jason thinks they’re done talking.

“Only if Alfred agrees.”


End file.
